Patrick Daugherty

Offseason Low Down

Best Case/Worst Case: RBs

The rules are the same as they were last week, with a few minor tweaks. The 1-32 designations are based on Rotoworld’s running back rankings, with the caveat that each team must be represented. That’s why Rashard Mendenhall is No. 32 instead of Shane Vereen (spoiler). So don’t consider this a projection of “starters,” as much as “the most likely to lead their team’s running back corps in fantasy value.”

Also — more than any other position — we’re aware that the true “Worst Case Scenario” for any running back is “shatters leg in three places as knee is getting blown out.” Think this or this. But what would be the fun in predicting that? This is a thought exercise. What’s a player’s highest ceiling? Lowest floor? Thank you for reading. The real thing is finally almost here.

Best Case: AD doesn’t reach his desired 2,500 yards, but still sets the new benchmark, exploding past 2.2K in Week 17. An already Hall-of-Fame career becomes era defining.

Worst Case: After outrunning Christian Ponder’s ineptness as he reset the record book last season, not even Peterson can withstand all the league-leading eight-man fronts he’s forced to deal with because of Ponder’s inability to challenge beyond the first level of the defense. AD’s 1,325 rushing yards are the second fewest of his career, while his 4.4 yards per carry is more than a yard and a half off his 2012 mark.

Best Case: The centerpiece of the Bucs offense not only solidifies himself as the league’s top dual-threat back, but makes a serious run at Chris Johnson’s 2009 record of 2,509 yards from scrimmage record.

Worst Case: With Josh Freeman making a Flacco-esque run at the multi-millions, Martin’s touches actually go down. It results in “just” 1,500 yards from scrimmage, only 1,100 of which come on the ground. Martin is a lower-end RB1.

Best Case: Foster reminds everybody that he’s still only 27, exploding for a career-high 1,800 yards while averaging 4.8 yards per carry behind a refreshed offensive line. His 15 rushing touchdowns lead the league for the second consecutive season.

Worst Case: With disappointing RT Derek Newton leading the way, Foster’s line play deteriorates instead of improves. Gaining mileage faster than a Dead Head’s van, Foster misses four games with various leg ailments, and fails to eclipse 1,000 yards for the first time since 2009. Foster becomes the latest, greatest example of a running back’s frighteningly short shelf life.

Best Case: The coronation is complete. Spiller leads the league in rushing yards (1,727), yards from scrimmage (2,289), yards per carry (5.6) and total touchdowns (23), calling to mind Priest Holmes in his prime.

Worst Case: New coach Doug Marrone does what Chan Gailey never did — make Spiller the centerpiece of the offense. Spiller responds by falling back on one of his worst tendencies, trying to bounce every run outside. Spiller’s home-run swinging puts undue pressure on the quarterback duo Kevin Kolb and E.J. Manuel, resulting in a vicious cycle that makes us wonder, “maybe Gailey knew how to use this guy after all.”

Best Case:Andy Reid comes to Jesus, curbing his pass-obsessed tendencies to make Charles the true quarterback of his offense. It results in the greatest season of Charles’ career, who makes like Larry Johnson on the ground (1,700 yards) and Brian Westbrook through the air (600 receiving yards).

Worst Case: Reid’s square peg (Alex Smith) doesn’t fit in the round hole (his pass-happy West Coast offense), hamstringing the offense, and Charles in particular. Charles still eclipses 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 5.0 yards per carry, but as is usually the case with Reid’s running backs, people are left wondering what might have been.

Best Case: Bernard who? Rice’s workload is not dramatically reduced, and he responds by flirting with the league lead in yards from scrimmage, a category he led in 2011. His 10 rushing scores make him a hit in standard leagues, while his 70 catches goose his PPR stock.

Worst Case: Rice finds himself on the sideline far more often than he’d like, watching as Bernard Pierce’s touches spike from 7-8 to 12-14 per game. He barely clears 1,100 yards on the ground for the second consecutive season, while he catches fewer than 60 balls for the first time since his rookie year. He’s still an RB1, but a severe overdraft in the No. 3-5 overall range.

Best Case: The beast is unleashed in year five. With coach Andy Reid no longer around to waste touches on Jason Avant and Clay Harbor, “Shady” pilots the most run-heavy offense in the league, making 2013 the heir apparent to his elite 2011. McCoy’s injury-marred, ineffective 2012 is but a distant memory as he leads the league in both yards from scrimmage and total touchdowns.

Worst Case: McCoy’s touches per game actually go down as coach Chip Kelly, intent on utilizing the powerful and explosive Bryce Brown, employs a two-back attack. Shady barely squeezes by 1,000 yards on the ground, and is actually out-scored by Brown. He’s a waste of a first-round pick.

Best Case: Lynch’s mid-career renaissance batters its way to another top-five fantasy finish, as he keeps on truckin’ to the tune of 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns. “Beast Mode” is impervious to the improvements and evolution of Seattle’s offense.

Best Case: The ghost of Terrell Davis lives on, as Morris flirts with 2,000 yards rushing in the Redskins’ lethal zone-blocking attack. He even manages to snag a few passes, doubling his reception total from 11 to 22. It’s a top-three season for the former sixth-round pick.

Worst Case: There are no Sha-nanigans — not even Mike Shanahan is crazy enough to bench Morris after his stellar rookie campaign — but the Redskins offense treads water as Robert Griffin III struggles to find his footing as he plays on a bum knee. Morris’ 1,200 rushing yards are still good for 10th in the league, but scoring just eight touchdowns and offering nothing as a pass catcher, he’s a thoroughly uninspiring RB1.

Best Case: So that’s why he was the No. 3 pick last season. Richardson puts his lost rookie year behind him, piling up yards and catches for an offensive coordinator who was there as Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson rewrote the record book. Although he finishes just outside the top three in running back points, Richardson makes a case to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2014 fantasy drafts.

Worst Case: Like a host of Alabama prospects before him, Richardson looks like a player whose best days came for the Crimson Tide. Unable to stay healthy, Richardson barely improves on his woeful 2012 3.6 yards per carry, and forces Norval Turner to follow the “Mathews Plan,” rotating in used-up veterans behind a supposedly ready-to-explode elite young back. T-Rich sets himself up for a “do-or-die” 2014.

Best Case: Deliverance. Already ageless, Jackson is like a kid in a candy store in Atlanta’s wide-open offense, making up for lost time as he scores a career-high — and NFL-leading — 18 rushing touchdowns. S-Jax kills the memory of Michael Turner’s sad final days, and wins legions of leagues as a late-second/early-third round pick.

Worst Case: S-Jax is stopped by the same invisible force that claimed Turner: Age and usage. After escaping the cruel hand of time longer than 90 percent of NFL running backs, Jackson looks like he’s stuck in mud as he plods to 3.8 yards per carry. His 10 rushing scores are still the second most of his career, but he’s a missing piece instead of the missing piece for the Falcons offense.

Best Case: Healthy and happy in an offense coordinated by someone who actually understands offense, Forte wrings one last top-ten campaign out of his soon-to-be 28-year-old legs, rushing for a career-high 1,250 yards while snagging his most passes since 2009 (57). He’s a strong value as a second-round pick.

Worst Case: The injury bug becomes an avalanche for the rapidly wearing down back, as Forte wheezes to 4.1 yards per carry while missing a career-worst five games. His sporadic health leads to a drop in the 2.9 catches per game he averaged in 2012, despite assurances from both GM Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman that he’d be more involved in the passing game.

Best Case: Johnson stops the buck here instead of passing it. After years of complaining about his supporting cast, CJ?K is reinvigorated by his improved offensive line and new run-based attack. He’s still not the same back he was in 2009, but his 1,300 yards appear far less arduous than they did in 2010-12.

Worst Case: With new LG Andy Levitre (knees) banged up and Jake Locker ineffective, Johnson’s sad, baffling decline continues. His 983 yards are a career low, while he accomplishes the impossible: Making Titans fans wish Shonn Greene would get the ball more.

Best Case: Ridley runs his way to an unassuming 1,454 yards, adding 14 touchdowns for a restyled offense. His hands are still made of stone, but he manages to double his previous career total for catches (nine).

Worst Case:Shane Vereen’s momentum doesn’t just carry him into fantasy owners’ hearts, but the Patriots’ backfield, where he proves to be more than a third-round back. Stealing away carries with his big-play ability, Vereen puts a major dent in Ridley’s fantasy value, turning him from a shaky RB1 to even shakier RB2.

Best Case: Gore finds himself on the wrong side of 30, but right side of San Francisco’s offense, easily marching to his third-straight 1,200-yard campaign under coach Jim Harbaugh. Thanks to smart early-season usage, Gore doesn’t even slow down the stretch this time, saving his best games for San Francisco’s pivotal St. Louis/Seattle/Tampa Bay/Atlanta December grind.

Worst Case: Although the 49ers offense is even more run-based in the absence of Michael Crabtree, Harbs decides to do all he can to keep Gore fresh, limiting him to 13-17 carries per game for the season’s first half as LaMichael James and Kendall Hunter both establish roles. Gore’s usage picks up as the games increase in importance, but the damage has already been done for fantasy owners who rolled the second-round dice.

Best Case: Making the necessary strides with ball security and pass protection, Wilson turns the G-Men’s backfield into a one-man committee, piling up 1,600 yards from scrimmage while splitting goal-line duties with Andre Brown. A new perennial first-round pick is born.

Worst Case: Brown decides 2013 is the year he’s going to stay healthy, while Wilson’s mental mistakes continue to trouble the coaching staff. What was supposed to be a 66-33 split in Wilson’s favor is far closer to 50-50, even tilting towards Brown. Wilson is an inconsistent flex option, which doesn’t cut it for fantasy owners who used a third-round pick.

The rules are the same as they were last week, with a few minor tweaks. The 1-32 designations are based on Rotoworld’s running back rankings, with the caveat that each team must be represented. That’s why Rashard Mendenhall is No. 32 instead of Shane Vereen (spoiler). So don’t consider this a projection of “starters,” as much as “the most likely to lead their team’s running back corps in fantasy value.”

Also — more than any other position — we’re aware that the true “Worst Case Scenario” for any running back is “shatters leg in three places as knee is getting blown out.” Think this or this. But what would be the fun in predicting that? This is a thought exercise. What’s a player’s highest ceiling? Lowest floor? Thank you for reading. The real thing is finally almost here.

Best Case: AD doesn’t reach his desired 2,500 yards, but still sets the new benchmark, exploding past 2.2K in Week 17. An already Hall-of-Fame career becomes era defining.

Worst Case: After outrunning Christian Ponder’s ineptness as he reset the record book last season, not even Peterson can withstand all the league-leading eight-man fronts he’s forced to deal with because of Ponder’s inability to challenge beyond the first level of the defense. AD’s 1,325 rushing yards are the second fewest of his career, while his 4.4 yards per carry is more than a yard and a half off his 2012 mark.

Best Case: The centerpiece of the Bucs offense not only solidifies himself as the league’s top dual-threat back, but makes a serious run at Chris Johnson’s 2009 record of 2,509 yards from scrimmage record.

Worst Case: With Josh Freeman making a Flacco-esque run at the multi-millions, Martin’s touches actually go down. It results in “just” 1,500 yards from scrimmage, only 1,100 of which come on the ground. Martin is a lower-end RB1.

Best Case: Foster reminds everybody that he’s still only 27, exploding for a career-high 1,800 yards while averaging 4.8 yards per carry behind a refreshed offensive line. His 15 rushing touchdowns lead the league for the second consecutive season.

Worst Case: With disappointing RT Derek Newton leading the way, Foster’s line play deteriorates instead of improves. Gaining mileage faster than a Dead Head’s van, Foster misses four games with various leg ailments, and fails to eclipse 1,000 yards for the first time since 2009. Foster becomes the latest, greatest example of a running back’s frighteningly short shelf life.

Best Case: The coronation is complete. Spiller leads the league in rushing yards (1,727), yards from scrimmage (2,289), yards per carry (5.6) and total touchdowns (23), calling to mind Priest Holmes in his prime.

Worst Case: New coach Doug Marrone does what Chan Gailey never did — make Spiller the centerpiece of the offense. Spiller responds by falling back on one of his worst tendencies, trying to bounce every run outside. Spiller’s home-run swinging puts undue pressure on the quarterback duo Kevin Kolb and E.J. Manuel, resulting in a vicious cycle that makes us wonder, “maybe Gailey knew how to use this guy after all.”

Best Case:Andy Reid comes to Jesus, curbing his pass-obsessed tendencies to make Charles the true quarterback of his offense. It results in the greatest season of Charles’ career, who makes like Larry Johnson on the ground (1,700 yards) and Brian Westbrook through the air (600 receiving yards).

Worst Case: Reid’s square peg (Alex Smith) doesn’t fit in the round hole (his pass-happy West Coast offense), hamstringing the offense, and Charles in particular. Charles still eclipses 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 5.0 yards per carry, but as is usually the case with Reid’s running backs, people are left wondering what might have been.

Best Case: Bernard who? Rice’s workload is not dramatically reduced, and he responds by flirting with the league lead in yards from scrimmage, a category he led in 2011. His 10 rushing scores make him a hit in standard leagues, while his 70 catches goose his PPR stock.

Worst Case: Rice finds himself on the sideline far more often than he’d like, watching as Bernard Pierce’s touches spike from 7-8 to 12-14 per game. He barely clears 1,100 yards on the ground for the second consecutive season, while he catches fewer than 60 balls for the first time since his rookie year. He’s still an RB1, but a severe overdraft in the No. 3-5 overall range.

Best Case: The beast is unleashed in year five. With coach Andy Reid no longer around to waste touches on Jason Avant and Clay Harbor, “Shady” pilots the most run-heavy offense in the league, making 2013 the heir apparent to his elite 2011. McCoy’s injury-marred, ineffective 2012 is but a distant memory as he leads the league in both yards from scrimmage and total touchdowns.

Worst Case: McCoy’s touches per game actually go down as coach Chip Kelly, intent on utilizing the powerful and explosive Bryce Brown, employs a two-back attack. Shady barely squeezes by 1,000 yards on the ground, and is actually out-scored by Brown. He’s a waste of a first-round pick.

Best Case: Lynch’s mid-career renaissance batters its way to another top-five fantasy finish, as he keeps on truckin’ to the tune of 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns. “Beast Mode” is impervious to the improvements and evolution of Seattle’s offense.

Best Case: The ghost of Terrell Davis lives on, as Morris flirts with 2,000 yards rushing in the Redskins’ lethal zone-blocking attack. He even manages to snag a few passes, doubling his reception total from 11 to 22. It’s a top-three season for the former sixth-round pick.

Worst Case: There are no Sha-nanigans — not even Mike Shanahan is crazy enough to bench Morris after his stellar rookie campaign — but the Redskins offense treads water as Robert Griffin III struggles to find his footing as he plays on a bum knee. Morris’ 1,200 rushing yards are still good for 10th in the league, but scoring just eight touchdowns and offering nothing as a pass catcher, he’s a thoroughly uninspiring RB1.

Best Case: So that’s why he was the No. 3 pick last season. Richardson puts his lost rookie year behind him, piling up yards and catches for an offensive coordinator who was there as Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson rewrote the record book. Although he finishes just outside the top three in running back points, Richardson makes a case to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2014 fantasy drafts.

Worst Case: Like a host of Alabama prospects before him, Richardson looks like a player whose best days came for the Crimson Tide. Unable to stay healthy, Richardson barely improves on his woeful 2012 3.6 yards per carry, and forces Norval Turner to follow the “Mathews Plan,” rotating in used-up veterans behind a supposedly ready-to-explode elite young back. T-Rich sets himself up for a “do-or-die” 2014.

Best Case: Deliverance. Already ageless, Jackson is like a kid in a candy store in Atlanta’s wide-open offense, making up for lost time as he scores a career-high — and NFL-leading — 18 rushing touchdowns. S-Jax kills the memory of Michael Turner’s sad final days, and wins legions of leagues as a late-second/early-third round pick.

Worst Case: S-Jax is stopped by the same invisible force that claimed Turner: Age and usage. After escaping the cruel hand of time longer than 90 percent of NFL running backs, Jackson looks like he’s stuck in mud as he plods to 3.8 yards per carry. His 10 rushing scores are still the second most of his career, but he’s a missing piece instead of the missing piece for the Falcons offense.

Best Case: Healthy and happy in an offense coordinated by someone who actually understands offense, Forte wrings one last top-ten campaign out of his soon-to-be 28-year-old legs, rushing for a career-high 1,250 yards while snagging his most passes since 2009 (57). He’s a strong value as a second-round pick.

Worst Case: The injury bug becomes an avalanche for the rapidly wearing down back, as Forte wheezes to 4.1 yards per carry while missing a career-worst five games. His sporadic health leads to a drop in the 2.9 catches per game he averaged in 2012, despite assurances from both GM Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman that he’d be more involved in the passing game.

Best Case: Johnson stops the buck here instead of passing it. After years of complaining about his supporting cast, CJ?K is reinvigorated by his improved offensive line and new run-based attack. He’s still not the same back he was in 2009, but his 1,300 yards appear far less arduous than they did in 2010-12.

Worst Case: With new LG Andy Levitre (knees) banged up and Jake Locker ineffective, Johnson’s sad, baffling decline continues. His 983 yards are a career low, while he accomplishes the impossible: Making Titans fans wish Shonn Greene would get the ball more.

Best Case: Ridley runs his way to an unassuming 1,454 yards, adding 14 touchdowns for a restyled offense. His hands are still made of stone, but he manages to double his previous career total for catches (nine).

Worst Case:Shane Vereen’s momentum doesn’t just carry him into fantasy owners’ hearts, but the Patriots’ backfield, where he proves to be more than a third-round back. Stealing away carries with his big-play ability, Vereen puts a major dent in Ridley’s fantasy value, turning him from a shaky RB1 to even shakier RB2.

Best Case: Gore finds himself on the wrong side of 30, but right side of San Francisco’s offense, easily marching to his third-straight 1,200-yard campaign under coach Jim Harbaugh. Thanks to smart early-season usage, Gore doesn’t even slow down the stretch this time, saving his best games for San Francisco’s pivotal St. Louis/Seattle/Tampa Bay/Atlanta December grind.

Worst Case: Although the 49ers offense is even more run-based in the absence of Michael Crabtree, Harbs decides to do all he can to keep Gore fresh, limiting him to 13-17 carries per game for the season’s first half as LaMichael James and Kendall Hunter both establish roles. Gore’s usage picks up as the games increase in importance, but the damage has already been done for fantasy owners who rolled the second-round dice.

Best Case: Making the necessary strides with ball security and pass protection, Wilson turns the G-Men’s backfield into a one-man committee, piling up 1,600 yards from scrimmage while splitting goal-line duties with Andre Brown. A new perennial first-round pick is born.

Worst Case: Brown decides 2013 is the year he’s going to stay healthy, while Wilson’s mental mistakes continue to trouble the coaching staff. What was supposed to be a 66-33 split in Wilson’s favor is far closer to 50-50, even tilting towards Brown. Wilson is an inconsistent flex option, which doesn’t cut it for fantasy owners who used a third-round pick.

Best Case: A new “Beast Mode” is born. Angry from years of being mothballed in pass-happy New Orleans, Ivory puts the Jets on his back as explodes for 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns. He keeps Gang Green surprisingly competitive, and is one of the common denominators of fantasy champions thanks to his low ADP (55.9 as of this writing).

Worst Case: Ivory is angry alright, but on the sideline, not the field. That’s because true to his Saints reputation, he can’t stay healthy, picking up a litany of leg injuries. He produces when he does get the rock (4.7 yards per carry), but it’s too few and far between for fantasy owners who took the fourth-round plunge.

Best Case: The phoenix rises. DMC is no longer synonymous with disappointment, but triumph, saving his best — and healthiest — football for his contract year. He averages an even five yards per carry behind the Raiders’ power-blocking wall, totaling a career best 1,400 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns in the process. Years of “moth to the flame” fantasy owners are finally rewarded.

Worst Case: McFadden paints his masterpiece...of failure, and this time there’s no one to blame but himself. It’s not the scheme, it’s not the line, it’s not the quarterback, it’s not the coaching. McFadden just plain stinks in a year where he misses “only” two games, averaging 3.8 yards per carry, and killing the dream of a “DMC breakout” once and for all.

Best Case: The unholy matrimony of his Saints and Dolphins days, Bush rushes for a career-high 1,200 yards while leading running backs in catches with 83. Taking advantage of the Lions’ wide-open offense, Bush is a top-ten back in every format, and a downright elite one in PPR leagues.

Worst Case: After two years of good health in South Beach, the Ford Field turf proves unforgiving to Bush’s knees, costing him four games and slowing his momentum in an offense built for his strengths. He’s still a perfectly fine flex option when he does take the field, but that’s not what gambling fantasy owners had in mind when they selected him ahead of the likes of Frank Gore and Chris Johnson.

Best Case: Murray splits the difference between his rookie and sophomore campaigns with one important alteration — he stays healthy. He rushes for 1,250 yards while averaging 4.5 yards per carry, “tacking on” a solid 55 catches.

Worst Case: It simply isn’t meant to be. Felled by leg and foot injuries his first two years in the league, Murray tears his MCL, missing another six games as he erases what few good feelings remained from his rookie campaign. “Never again” is the fantasy mantra heading into 2014.

Best Case: It wasn’t Wisconsin’s “system” after all. After running circles around Ronnie Hillman in camp, Ball runs wild over the soft fronts Peyton Manning invites, leading all rookies with 1,300 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns.

Worst Case: Ball plays to his sluggish 4.66 Combine 40 in camp while struggling in pass protection. The Broncos adopt a full-blown committee at running back, and Ball starts out third on the totem pole behind Hillman and Knowshon Moreno. Aside from erratic flex value as a goal-line specialist, Ball is off the redraft radar.

Best Case: The Dolphins’ (blind?) faith is rewarded, as Miller proves the most successful of the NFL’s myriad sophomore backs. Working in tandem with Ryan Tannehill, Miller rides a wave of big plays to 1,400 yards and 5.2 yards per carry. Just as Frank Gore predicted, the next great “U” running back is born.

Worst Case: Still lacking in physicality, Miller isn’t ready for his star turn, spending more time running into piles than the end zone. Miller is given a long rope thanks to the lack of talent behind him, but he never gets in gear. One of GM Jeff Ireland’s numerous aggressive gambles goes by the wayside.

Best Case: Bell does what he was drafted to do, restoring order to a Steelers rushing attack that’s been directionless for the vast majority of the Ben Roethlisberger era. An upright, slow-ish runner, Bell doesn’t hit many home runs, but legs out plenty of doubles on his way to 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns.

Worst Case: Bell is washed away behind one of the league’s worst run-blocking lines while the Steelers break their latest promise to return to classic “Steelers football.” An afterthought to Roethlisberger by Week 4, Bell is part of a three-man committee by Week 8. He struggles for flex value.

Best Case: Behind only Drew Brees, Sproles is the centerpiece of Sean Payton’s post-suspension offense, taking his career-high 110 carries for 560 yards. That’s on top of his customary 80 receptions, of course. Sproles’ nine total touchdowns match his 2011 total.

Worst Case: Payton still emphasizes Sproles through the air, but opts for a more traditional “pound” on the ground with Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas, handing the ball off to his shifty scatback just 55 times. Sproles is still a PPR dynamo, but a frustrating flex option for standard purposes.

Best Case: Miracles do happen. Mathews sheds all his disappointing 2012 stats — 3.8 yards per carry, one rush of 20 yards or longer, five third-down touches all season — and looks much more like the player he was in 2011 (1,546 yards from scrimmage, 4.9 yards per carry, six TDs) despite playing behind the league’s worst offensive line.

Worst Case: The disintegration continues. A strict two-down back, Mathews remains allergic to big plays and finds the end zone only three more times than he did in 2012 (once). Backup Danny Woodhead outpoints Mathews in PPR leagues, and comes close in standard formats.

Best Case: Lacy easily wins early-down duties in camp and steals a surprising number of passing-down snaps away from fellow rookie Johnathan Franklin. Quickly establishing himself as a member of this season’s “All Overanalyzed Team,” Lacy not only becomes the Packers’ first 700-yard rusher since 2010, but first 1,000-yard rusher since 2009.

Worst Case: After looking like a 5-foot-10, 231-pound ball of fury against a sluggish Notre Dame defense in the national title game, Lacy is decidedly less explosive in the pros, thanks in part to ongoing conditioning issues. Despite being given every opportunity to seize early-down duties, Lacy can’t take advantage, and is thrust into a timeshare with DuJuan Harris. Like Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson before him, Lacy isn’t ready for the big leagues as a rookie.

Best Case: Despite his ever-increasing injury history, Bradshaw does what he always does: Misses a ton of practice time but produces on Sundays. A vastly superior talent to Vick Ballard, Bradshaw leads Colts running backs in both rushing yards and catches. He rumbles for over 1,000 yards on the ground for the third time in four years.

Worst Case: Bradshaw can no longer outrun his past. After missing most of training camp, Bradshaw is sluggish early on before his foot woes pop back up in Week 3. Ineffective as he plays hurt over the next month, Bradshaw is sent to injured reserve for the first time in his seven-year career.

Best Case: Forget the fact that Stewart couldn’t even play golf this summer. He returns fully healed from his twin high-ankle sprains to finally live up to his promise in the Panthers’ new power-run game, breaching the 1,000-yard barrier for the first time since 2009. He even manages to steal away eight goal-to-go carries from world-renowned vulture Mike Tolbert, turning them into five touchdowns.

Worst Case: 2012 was the beginning of the end for a back who is still only 26. Stewart simply can’t stay healthy, forcing the Panthers to return to DeAngelo Williams, who promptly goes down, as well. It’s Tolbert Time in Carolina, leading to headaches for otherwise ascendant QB Cam Newton. The Panthers are in the market for a new feature runner barely two years after locking up Williams, and one year after extending Stewart.

Best Case: The favorite of coach Jeff Fisher all along, Pead soundly wins the Rams’ running back competition. Fresh off his one-game suspension in Week 2, Pead stings the Falcons’ soft defense for 180 yards from scrimmage as former teammate Steven Jackson can barely muster 75. Pead quickly emerges as one of the league’s top dual-threat backs en route to 1,500 yards from scrimmage.

Worst Case: Pead shows his rookie form in camp. Meandering and error prone, he departs the exhibition season a shaky second on the depth chart. Suspended for Week 1, all he can do is watch from his hotel room as Daryl Richardson looks like anything but a “space” player against the Cardinals, grinding out 130 tough yards. Pead is once again limited to reserve and special-teams duties.

Best Case: Like Doug Martin re: LeGarrette Blount in 2012, Bernard runs circles around BenJarvus Green-Ellis in camp, establishing within the first 10 days that he’s not going to be limited to “change-of-pace” duties as a rookie. Drafted as a flex option, he produces as a borderline RB1 in an offense that gets necessarily more run heavy.

Worst Case: It doesn’t matter how Bernard shows in camp: Conservative OC Jay Gruden has already made up his mind that he’ll be pure COP as a rookie. It’s not a valuable role in a Bengals offense that ends up running the most two tight-end sets in the league with Tyler Eifert in the fold. Aside from sporadic FLEX production, Bernard is a fantasy afterthought in Year 1.

Best Case: Simply handed the starting job by former OC Bruce Arians, Mendenhall is given a long leash as the Cardinals’ feature back. Arians has always favored a “lead dog” approach when possible. Mendenhall responds by averaging a surprisingly acceptable 4.3 yards per carry behind Arizona’s pitiful offensive line. He matches his nine touchdowns from 2011, and reaches 1,000 yards for the first time since 2010.

Worst Case: Mendenhall “wins” the No. 1 job in camp, but goes nowhere behind the Cardinals’ spaghetti-strainer of a line. Just like he was in Indianapolis, Arians is forced to go with a committee approach as he searches for something, anything to spark the league’s worst rushing attack. Mendenhall looks shockingly done for a back who is still only 26.